University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
From Bulldogs to Bears: Building the Blue Army
07.15.2016 | Men's Tennis
Hickory, N.C.- Men's tennis alumni Alex Croker and Tom Rees share a lot of common ground already. Both are relatively tall Englishmen who've played all over the rotation as Bulldogs, but now they're about to add Lenior-Rhyne Tennis coach to their list of similarities.
After being named the head coach of the Bears this past May, Rees, a 2011 graduate of UNC Asheville, began looking to expand his staff.
“Upon taking over at Lenoir-Rhyne in May, I wanted to hire a GA that would be able to come in and make an immediate impact on our program,” said head coach Tom Rees. “I reached out to Alex to see if he was interested in joining the coaching ranks at LR and it was plain sailing after that,” said Rees.
Although the pair just missed being teammates at UNC Asheville, they recognize their strengths and common ground and are looking forward to a dynamic coaching relationship.
“Alex is the perfect fit for us. Having played under the same coaches at Asheville, we share a similar philosophy and I am confident that he will be a great addition to our staff. He is energetic, straight forward, and, most importantly is hungry to succeed,” said Rees.
The feeling is mutual with Croker, a 2016 graduate from Asheville.
“I am most looking forward to getting stuck in and working with coach Rees who is a young and exciting coach to work with. He did a great job at transforming the program he was at previously, and I believe he can do the same at LR,” Croker said.
Rees and Croker aren't the only ones who are looking forward to the "Bulldogs turned Bears" coaching duo this fall.
"It's great to see two of our Alumni who did so much for this program now working together to continue making a contribution to our sport," said Asheville's head men's tennis coach, Tom Hand.
While Croker and Rees seem to be a coaching match made in heaven, they claim it's because of something more than their shared passion for tennis.
“I think the whole bulldog family is a special one. Because we are a smaller school and so have less athletes, I think we have a great athletic community which is more like a big family. When talking about the tennis team specifically, I think we are unique to every other team on campus,” Croker said.
Rees agreed. Asheville is building something much more than a winning tennis tradition.
“UNC Asheville Men's tennis, the 'Blue Army', is one big family. The bonds that are formed between teammates last far beyond our college careers, which I think speaks volumes for the high quality student- athlete experience that is provided by the University and Coaching Staff,” said Rees.
Both Croker and Rees acknowledge a special bond they formed with their teammates in their time at Asheville and beyond- but this fall, a little healthy competition is in order.
“Alex will kick off his first spring season in 2017 coaching against his former team mates as we face off with the Bulldog Tennis programs in January in exhibition action. No pressure!” Rees said.
